crushed; crushing; crushes
1
a
: to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure
crush grapes
b
: to squeeze together into a mass
She crushed her clothes into a bag.
2
: to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding
crush rock
3
a
: to subdue completely
The rebellion was crushed.
b
: to cause overwhelming emotional pain to (someone)
Her insults crushed him.
c
: to oppress or burden grievously
crushed by debt
d
: to suppress or overwhelm as if by pressure or weight
6
archaic
: drink
1
: to advance with or as if with crushing
The crowd crushed ruthlessly toward the exit.
2
: to become crushed
The stewed tomatoes crush easily.
3
obsolete
: crash
4
informal
: to experience an intense and usually passing infatuation : to have a crush on someone
—usually used with on
She's been crushing on him all summer.
Turns out Fat Monica was motivated to lose all the weight after she overhead Chandler (whom she was crushing on) tell Ross: "I don't want to be stuck here all night with your fat sister."—
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly1
: an intense and usually passing infatuation
have a crush on someone
also
: the object of infatuation
2
3
: an act of crushing
4
: the quantity of material crushed
Synonyms
Examples of crush in a Sentence
Verb
Unfortunately some of the flowers got crushed when we were moving them.
The bicycle was crushed under the truck's tires.
The machine crushes the cans so that they can be stored until they are recycled.
Her arm was crushed in the accident.
Crush the nuts and sprinkle them on top of the cake.
The rocks were crushed into dust.
Noun
Yesterday I saw my old high school crush for the first time in five years.
The crush in the train station is at its worst during the afternoon rush hour.
Outside the hotel stood a crush of reporters waiting for her arrival.
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Recent Examples on the WebPaul Wiseman and Michael Liedtke, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023
One of the big team highlights for the Browns came on a fourth-down play when Myles Garrett stormed in and crushed Burrow for a 13-yard loss on fourth down — his eighth career sack on Burrow and 12th against the Bengals.
—Joshua Gunter, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023
Then their housing fell apart: they were supposed to move into a rental apartment in a Brooklyn brownstone, but the building was sold to new owners who rescinded the agreement—a development that seems to have crushed them.
—Jennifer Egan, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
Stir in water, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2023
Playing in a record 47th Grand Slam semifinal, Djokovic executed the sort of tactical deconstruction of Shelton that has crushed the dreams and good vibes and flash that so many younger players have come at him with before.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Concerned Parents Dear Concerned: Take this in: Being beautiful, popular, smart, and high-achieving does not inoculate anyone against depression, anxiety, a mood disorder, or crushing doubt.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2023
The Ravens won’t enjoy a crushing talent advantage as the Bulldogs did, but those numbers offer a hint of what their coordinator might do in optimal conditions.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023
The very pink blockbuster has been casually crushing expectations since opening in theaters in July with $162 million, the best debut of the year.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 Sep. 2023
Nick Reilly, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2023
Presiding over the camp’s programming with Rebecca-Diane is Amos (Ben Platt), the acting teacher, who happens to be her childhood crush turned gay best friend.
—Dan Stahl, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2023
In the clip, Silverstone reprised her role as teenager Cher Horowitz to reimagine the moment in the 1995 rom-com when Cher tries — and fails — to seduce her crush, also named Christian, played by Siriano.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
When the weather in Palm Springs cools to ideal desert temperatures in late winter and early spring, the sun and the air make the crush of tourism bearable.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
The new facility is a custom crush and commercial storage facility located within wine-spitting distance of the Bob’s Red Mill Distribution Center in Southeast Portland.
—Michael Alberty | , oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
My answer, for most work crushes, is to start small — and in a group.
—Meredith Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
The Netflix movie is a time machine to my own bat mitzvah complete with friendship drama, puberty woes, and first crushes.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 30 Aug. 2023
One of the rare upsides to D.C.’s pricey housing crush is the promise of luxury amenities: infinity pools, podcast booths, rooftop dog parks.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023
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Verb
That bundling practice crushed competition from the once-popular browser Netscape.
—Paul Wiseman and Michael Liedtke, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023
One of the big team highlights for the Browns came on a fourth-down play when Myles Garrett stormed in and crushed Burrow for a 13-yard loss on fourth down — his eighth career sack on Burrow and 12th against the Bengals.
—Joshua Gunter, cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023
Then their housing fell apart: they were supposed to move into a rental apartment in a Brooklyn brownstone, but the building was sold to new owners who rescinded the agreement—a development that seems to have crushed them.
—Jennifer Egan, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023
Stir in water, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2023
Playing in a record 47th Grand Slam semifinal, Djokovic executed the sort of tactical deconstruction of Shelton that has crushed the dreams and good vibes and flash that so many younger players have come at him with before.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2023
Concerned Parents Dear Concerned: Take this in: Being beautiful, popular, smart, and high-achieving does not inoculate anyone against depression, anxiety, a mood disorder, or crushing doubt.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2023
The Ravens won’t enjoy a crushing talent advantage as the Bulldogs did, but those numbers offer a hint of what their coordinator might do in optimal conditions.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 8 Sep. 2023
The very pink blockbuster has been casually crushing expectations since opening in theaters in July with $162 million, the best debut of the year.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 Sep. 2023
Noun
In January, Lambeth Council suspended the venue’s license for three months, whilst investigations into the cause of the crush continued.
—Nick Reilly, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2023
Presiding over the camp’s programming with Rebecca-Diane is Amos (Ben Platt), the acting teacher, who happens to be her childhood crush turned gay best friend.
—Dan Stahl, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2023
In the clip, Silverstone reprised her role as teenager Cher Horowitz to reimagine the moment in the 1995 rom-com when Cher tries — and fails — to seduce her crush, also named Christian, played by Siriano.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 10 Sep. 2023
When the weather in Palm Springs cools to ideal desert temperatures in late winter and early spring, the sun and the air make the crush of tourism bearable.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2023
The new facility is a custom crush and commercial storage facility located within wine-spitting distance of the Bob’s Red Mill Distribution Center in Southeast Portland.
—Michael Alberty | , oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
My answer, for most work crushes, is to start small — and in a group.
—Meredith Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
The Netflix movie is a time machine to my own bat mitzvah complete with friendship drama, puberty woes, and first crushes.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 30 Aug. 2023
One of the rare upsides to D.C.’s pricey housing crush is the promise of luxury amenities: infinity pools, podcast booths, rooftop dog parks.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crush.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English crusshen, from Anglo-French croissir, croistre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Low German krossen to crush
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1599, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of crush was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing crush
Articles Related to crush
Dictionary Entries Near crush
Cite this Entry
“Crush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crush. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
crush
1 of 2 verb1
: to squeeze together so as to break or destroy the natural shape or condition
crush grapes
2
3
: to break into fine pieces by pressing, pounding, or grinding
crush stone
4
a
: overwhelm sense 2
crushed the enemy
b
crusher
noun
crush
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of crushing
2
: a crowding together of many people
3
: a strong but often temporary liking : infatuation
have a crush on someone
More from Merriam-Webster on crush
Nglish: Translation of crush for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of crush for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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